A short film ‘Bitter drink’ made in Kerala, following the controversy over the presence of pesticide residues in the products manufactured by cola majors a few years ago, led to a ban of the two cola brands in that State.
A three-minute film ‘The Beginning’ produced by R.P. Amudhan against the coastal corridor and SEZs evoked tremendous response from the public. These examples were recalled by the speakers at a meeting organised here on Monday to launch a poster to announce a ‘Short and documentary film festival’ being organised jointly by the Vizag Film Society (VFS) in association with the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication of Andhra University. The festival will be held at the Platinum Jubilee hall of AU on October 20 and 21.
VFS honorary secretary Narava Prakasa Rao said the maximum duration of the film should be 15 minutes for short films and 30 minutes for documentaries. The films should be original works and should have been made only during 2011 or 2012. The film should be in DVD format either in Telugu or English and those in other languages should have English subtitles.
Chairman of the Board of Studies, AU Journalism and Mass Communication, P. Bobby Vardhan said cash prizes were being given to encourage talent. He recalled that many popular film directors had started their careers as short film makers. Technical aspects wouldn’t be considered in the judging of entries and shooting could be done with any camera or even a mobile phone.
Head of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication D.V.R. Murthy underlined the importance of producing short films with a social message.
VFS joint secretary P.V. Ramana and festival coordinator M.G.V. Prasad said applications could be sent online also but the participants have to submit DVDs of their work, a synopsis of the film and bio-data of the director.
Details can be had via e-mail: navara-prakasarao@ yahoo.co.in or from M.G.V Prasad on mobile no. 98492 20092.
